24-year old man successfully undergoes hands transplant in Tamil Nadu hospital

Chennai, July 31: A 24-year-old man from Tamil Nadu successfully underwent a bilateral hand transplant surgery involving a marathon procedure after a woman donor was identified from Gujarat, a corporate hospital that treated him said on Sunday.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu who is on a brief visit to the city extended his greetings to the team of doctors who performed the surgery, a press release from Gleneagles Global Health City said.

The man hailing from neighbouring Kancheepuram district had lost both his hands after suffering burns from electrocution in 2018 and his mother was taking care of him, the release said. Having registered at the State government-backed Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN) for a hand transplant, the doctors received information about a prospective hand donor from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on May 28.

After collecting the necessary clearance from the respective agencies, the hands were flown from Ahmedabad to Chennai. The patient was wheeled in for a 14-hour marathon procedure, and expert specialists successfully performed the transplant, the release said.

A team of doctors led by Institute of Plastic director and senior consultant S Selva SeethaRaman, eight plastic surgeons, four orthopaedics, a vascular surgeon, four anaesthetists, a neurologist and 30 paramedical personnel were involved in the procedure, the release said. The surgery was performed on May 28.

The patient is doing well and is on road to recovery with intensive physiotherapy, the release said. "It gives me a sense of pride that the country is blessed with such remarkable and dedicated doctors across States. From my understanding, the process indeed has been strenuous and the doctors have taken a very meticulous approach in achieving this as a team," Naidu said. "This case is a great example to motivate people to step forward and donate organs, especially hands of brain-dead patients and provide a good quality of life to the disabled," he said. Selva SeethaRaman said, "Handling a case of hand transplants requires the highest levels of precision and medical expertise.

With this case, we are happy to have recorded this rare feat..." "Tamil Nadu has been a forerunner for organ transplants in India, I want to thank the government departments for the excellent coordination and support in achieving this milestone," he said.